COLD FEET

by Gen LeRoy ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 25, 1979

Fifteen-year-old Geneva Michellini has a sexual-identity problem: ""God's doodle. That's what I am."" And, she thinks further, ""That's probably why I'm so insecure."" But, you'll soon find out, boy-wary Geneva isn't turned on by girls either; and if she didn't get loaded at a Christmas party and cut off more of her hair than she meant to, this show would never get on the road. Shorn, Geneva is taken by strangers for a boy and offered a boy's job as janitor at a penny arcade. After school and into the small hours, she's swaggering, tough ""Johnny Bertolli,"" whose problems in ""passing"" include the intriguingly obvious one of negotiating the men's room. But she's also pressed into criminal service as go-fer at the gambling sessions conducted by snarling boss ""Mr. Toto""; faced with what looks suspiciously like a murder; and--the final turn-off--offered the favors of a good-natured, worldly-wise prostitute (after Toto assures himself she's no ""fruit""). A friendly young lawyer, coming to the rescue, inadvertently awakens her dormant passion for men, and soon she and schoolmate Alex are trying a first, experimental kiss. ""Let's do it again,"" says Alex. ""Only this time we can't press too hard. I still have braces on my teeth."" For all its cinematic seaminess, this is an Andy Hardy update, and a real downer for kids whose problem is more than a temporary block.

Pub Date: April 25, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1979

Categories: FICTION